


The Amalgam Tournament

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Mages and Familiars [29]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, Look there's going to be sparring/fighting but I promise no one will die, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-24 00:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6135328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after the end of the war, a tournament is being organized to celebrate the year of peace. The tournament will bring together old friends, old enemies, and hopefully not get anyone caught in the crossfire.</p><p>Or: Everyone is Together and This Time They Aren't Trying to Kill Each Other</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nekoma's Visitors

**Author's Note:**

> Karasuno, Aoba Josei, Nekoma, Windswept, and Moonlit Shadows are known as the forest guilds because all five of them are in villages at the edge of the forest.

Yaku and Lev stood in front of the information board in the Nekoma Guild Hall's common area, arguing.

"We are _not_ going to Moonlit Shadows," Yaku insisted. "We need to check up on the ocean Guilds. Evening Tides and the others have been suspiciously quiet."

"But going to Moonlit Shadows would be cooler!" Lev protested. "And it's almost been a year, so someone should go over there, right?"

"We'll leave that to Kuroo to decide," Yaku replied. "He and Kenma are used to the terrain over there, anyway."

"Which is why we should go," Lev replied. "Neither of us has been over there."

"You'd think a hybrid with one of his magic types being water would want to go to the ocean," Yaku grumbled.

"Ocean water is too salty. Rain goes better with my lightning," Lev replied. "Besides, if we go near the ocean, you might get swept away since you're so tiny." Yaku aimed a kick at Lev's leg, which Lev dodged, aided by over a year of being kicked for similar remarks.

"Hey, you two, quit bickering. Shibayama and Inuoka were supposed to be back half an hour ago," Kuroo announced, walking up behind the two arguing mages. "Go find them." Yaku nodded and turned toward the door, grabbing Lev's arm and pulling the taller mage with him. Before they got to the exit, however, the door flew open and Shibayama stumbled inside.

"Shibayama?" Lev blinked down at his familiar. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Inuoka?" Yaku added. Shibayama took a deep breath.

"There's a pair I don't recognize in the market. Inuoka's bringing them here. He asked me to run ahead and tell you guys," the familiar explained. "He seemed really on edge, so I came as fast as I could."

"Describe them," Kuroo said, stepping forward.

"The mage had spiky hair, and I think his familiar is a forest spirit," Shibayama answered. Yaku tensed, glancing at Kuroo worriedly. Lev frowned.

"That sounds like..." Lev trailed off when Kuroo exhaled slowly. The Guild members all focused on him, waiting for his reaction. Kuroo smiled.

"They're back," he said. By the time Inuoka arrived, the visiting pair in tow, Kuroo and the others were situated on the couches littering the common area, waiting. Inuoka walked in and moved stiffly to sit beside Shibayama, expression tense and unhappy. The visitors hesitated in the doorway, studying the assembled Guild. After a few seconds of tense quite, Kuroo stood and walked over to them, Kenma following on his heels. Kuroo grinned and slung an arm around the mage's shoulders.

"Bokuto, it's been forever since I've seen you," Kuroo greeted him cheerfully. Kenma sidled up to Akaashi, who had been standing quietly beside Bokuto. The demon studied the forest spirit for a moment. Akaashi offered a hesitant smile, and Kenma returned it.

"Sorry we didn't come back sooner," Bokuto replied, grinning. Inuoka made a disgruntled sound, but Kuroo ignored it.

"It's all right. I know you two needed time to yourselves," the shadow mage said reassuringly. "Come on in, sit down." Kuroo returned to his previous spot and flopped down on the couch. Kenma waited until he was settled before taking the place beside him. There was one couch left open, and Bokuto took it, pulling Akaashi onto his lap when the forest spirit went to sit beside him. Bokuto grinned as Akaashi allowed himself to be situated on the mage's lap, and Kuroo watched the interaction carefully, noting that the tension in their movements is different from the stress that had plagued them a year before.

"First things first," Akaashi began, looking around to meet the eyes of each Nekoma member. Once he was sure he had their attention, he shifted his gaze to Bokuto.

"I'm sorry," Bokuto said quietly. "I know it's been a year, and I know you've all been grieving, so I don't want to bring anything up, but...I'm sorry."

"You should be," Inuoka muttered under his breath. Yaku frowned at his familiar.

"We all made an agreement a year ago," Yaku told the visitors. "No one is allowed to blame themselves. What happened, happened, and it sucks, but we aren't going to let it ruin the rest of our lives." He watched Inuoka as he said this, but the demon wouldn't look at him. Yaku sighed, and silence fell again.

"So did you two come back for the tournament?" Kuroo asked. Akaashi blinked.

"Tournament?" Bokuto repeated excitedly.

"Aoba Josei is hosting a magic tournament to celebrate a year since the war ended," Lev told them, grinning. Then he turned to Yaku. "That's another reason we shouldn't go to the ocean! It's too far to travel, and we'd miss the tournament!"

"Lev, for the last time, we are not going to-"

"No bickering," Kuroo interrupted. The two mages quieted, and Kuroo turned back to Bokuto and Akaashi.

"Guildmasters aren't allowed to participate, because apparently it would be unfair if we had to face our own Guild members. But Yaku and Lev are entering, and most of Karasuno. There are some interesting Aoba Josei pairs that'll be involved, too," Kuroo told them. "The tournament starts at Aoba Josei's Guild Hall in two weeks."

"And anyone is allowed to participate?" Bokuto's eyes gleamed.

"There will be some Moonlit Shadows and Windswept mages there, too," Kenma murmured. "The point is to have some friendly competition between all of the forest Guilds, let off some of the tension that's lingering from the war, and show off how everyone has changed."

"And you're happy you have the excuse of being a Guildmaster's familiar, so you don't have to participate," Akaashi guessed. Kenma shrugged and Kuroo sighed, which told the forest spirit he was right.

"So, are you going to join in?" Yaku asked, honestly curious. He'd seen Bokuto fight before, but after everything he'd hear from the reports during the war, the enchanter had spent quite a bit of time practicing how to deal with power like Bokuto's, and he wanted to know how well it would actually work against the fire mage.

"You should!" Lev exclaimed, also eager to test his abilities. Bokuto glanced at Akaashi, who smiled gently.

"We can at least attend the tournament," the forest spirit murmured. "We'll think about participating."

"Great!" Kuroo grinned. Inuoka huffed quietly, earning a worried look from Shibayama. "Would you two like to stay here? We're not leaving for a few days."

"Thanks. We'll only stay the night, though," Bokuto answered. "We have a few more stops to make before we go to Aoba Josei." Kuroo raised an eyebrow curiously, but neither Bokuto nor Akaashi elaborated.


	2. Aoba Josei's Representatives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about a week after chapter one, so there's one week until the tournament starts.

"You wanted to see me?" Yahaba said as he walked into Oikawa's office. The Guildmaster looked up and smiled.

"I did," he replied cheerfully.

"If it's about the rooms for the guests, Kindaichi is overseeing the cleaning," Yahaba said. "And I already put in a request with the local merchants for more food for Suzumeda and the cooks."

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Oikawa replied. Yahaba tilted his head curiously. "I noticed you and Kyoutani didn't sign up to participate in the tournament."

"So?" Yahaba frowned. "Kindaichi signed up. So did Koganegawa. Futakuchi tried, and I had to tell him that the tournament is pairs only, so unless he bonds that glacier spirit friend of his in the next week, he can't participate."

"I just thought you and Mad Dog would like a chance to show off," Oikawa sighed. "Since Iwa-chan and I can't participate except for the exhibition matches, I was hoping my two ranking pairs would be in the tournament."

"Well, Kyoutani hasn't mentioned it, and I don't think it would really be a good idea for us to enter," Yahaba told him. "Either we'll make it through completely unharmed, or I'll get hurt or worn out and then Iwaizumi will have to corral a very unhappy Kyoutani."

"Karasuno's hybrid is entering. So is Nekoma's," Oikawa replied. "Moonlit Shadows is only putting in one pair, because they don't like us and they're only participating because they don't want to irritate the rest of the forest Guilds, and Windswept isn't putting any pairs in the main tournament."

"Their Guildmaster is still doing the exhibition match against you and Iwaizumi, though, right?" Yahaba asked.

"She is. It'll be interesting to see how Guildmaster Michimiya does without that damned Warden on her side," Oikawa added grimly. "Anyway, the point is, the entire tournament will be mostly Karasuno and Nekoma, so I want to make sure we have our best people in this."

"You don't think one of the three top pairs in the Guild should stay clear?" Yahaba pointed out. "Kiyoko and Yachi will be busy with any injuries, Kindaichi will hopefully make it past round one, so he'll be focused on that, and you need to focus on your exhibition match, or you'll end up underestimating Michimiya and losing, and that would look terrible." Oikawa studied him for a moment.

"The exhibition matches are the first day. You and Kindaichi can handle things for the day, and once the tournament starts, I'll take care of everything. And if you get hurt, Iwa-chan would have no problem helping manage Kyoutani. There's no reason for you not to participate," Oikawa insisted, frowning. "At least talk to your Mad Dog about it, okay?"

"Is that an order?" Yahaba asked.

"What? Of course not!" Oikawa flapped a hand dismissively. "It's just a friendly suggestion."

"I'll think about it, then," Yahaba sighed. "Is there anything else?"

"Oh, yes! Iwa-chan says that Bokuto and Akaashi are getting close, so if you could tell Kindaichi to have a room ready for them, too, that would be wonderful," Oikawa answered cheerfully.

"Are they going to be in the tournament, too?" Yahaba asked warily.

"I was thinking we would invite them to be part of the exhibition matches, since we don't have an opponent for Ushijima yet," Oikawa mused. "What do you think?"

"I think we should wait and see if they're in any shape to fight anyone. They've been out of touch for a year. They might not want to start their return off with a fight," Yahaba pointed out. Oikawa grinned. "But you already thought of that, didn't you?"

"Maybe, maybe not," the enchanter said loftily. "Now, why don't you go talk to that familiar of yours?" Yahaba nodded and left, wondering where Iwaizumi was. The war god was usually with Oikawa, but he hadn't been in the office. Maybe he was on patrol? Yahaba didn't remember scheduling the war god's participation in patrols for the week, but maybe he'd assigned himself to one. He did that periodically.

"There you are!" Yahaba looked up to find Kyoutani walking toward him, Patch at his side. The dog quivered with excitement, glancing from Kyoutani to Yahaba and back. "Go on," Kyoutani sighed, patting the dog's head. Patch bolted down the hallway, and Yahaba crouched to greet him. By the time the dog had finished licking Yahaba's face, Kyoutani had reached them.

"You were looking for me?" Yahaba asked, scratching Patch's ears.

"Yeah. Iwaizumi said you were talking to Oikawa. Everything okay?" Kyoutani asked.

"Mm. Neither of us is in trouble, if that's what you're asking," Yahaba assured him.

"That wasn't what I was asking, but good to know," his familiar said. "What did the Guildmaster want?" Yahaba focused on petting Patch for a moment, debating what to say.

"Oikawa wants us to be in the tournament," the earth mage sighed at last. Kyoutani watched him until he looked up from the dog.

"I thought you didn't want to do it," Kyoutani said when Yahaba finally met his gaze.

"It's not that I don't want to," Yahaba muttered. "It's just...there are some really strong mages who are going to be in it. Nekoma and Karasuno are both entering their hybrids, and Moonlit Shadows is entering their Golden Shadow guy."

"Are you afraid they'll be able to break through my magic and hurt you?" Kyoutani demanded, brow furrowing. Yahaba laughed, which only made his familiar scowl.

"I'm not scared I'll get hurt; I have no doubt that I could make it through pretty much anything without a scratch, as long as you're there," he said.

"Then what is it?" Kyoutani questioned. Yahaba didn't answer right away, so his familiar crouched, facing him. Between them, Patch wriggled, trying to decide which of them he should lick. "Shigeru, talk to me. If you're not worried about getting hurt, then what is it?"

"I'm worried about you, okay?" Yahaba admitted finally. "I'm worried that you'll exhaust yourself protecting me, or you'll put everything into protecting me and get yourself hurt, especially if a match goes too long and I wear myself out." They were both quiet for a few moments. Then Patch decided that, since he couldn't decide who to lick, he would run in circles around them both instead. Yahaba laughed at the dog's antics, and Kyoutani smiled a bit.

"It's just a tournament for show, Shigeru," Kyoutani reminded him. "No one will be fighting to kill, and if it gets to the point where you're worn out and I can't protect us both, we can always forfeit the round."

"You hate forfeiting," Yahaba grumbled.

"I'd rather give up a match than see that look you get when I get hurt," Kyoutani replied. Yahaba frowned.

"What look? There's no look," he protested. Kyoutani smirked and stood, holding a hand out to Yahaba to pull him to his feet.

"There is too. You know that look Iwaizumi gets when Oikawa's overworking or something? All angry and sad and stuff?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

"You get a slightly less scary version of that look on your face whenever I get hurt," Kyoutani informed him. "When Karasuno gets here with their light mage, I'll have him show you an illusion of what that look is like."

"Don't you dare," Yahaba growled. Kyoutani just grinned.

"So are we doing the tournament or not?" the familiar asked. Yahaba rolled his eyes.

"Only if you promise not to let yourself get hurt, and we can find someone to keep an eye on Patch while we're fighting," Yahaba agreed reluctantly.

"Watari will keep him," Kyoutani said confidently. Then he reached up and gently pulled Yahaba down a little for a kiss. "And I promise not to get hurt or anything," he added when he pulled back. "Okay?"

"Okay. Let's go tell Oikawa, then," Yahaba sighed. Kyoutani grinned and whistled sharply. Patch stopped racing in circles around them, coming to a halt at Kyoutani's side. Together, the three of them headed back to Oikawa's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lineup for the Guildmaster Pairs Exhibition Matches is:  
> Oikawa and Iwaizumi vs Michimiya and her familiar, Ikejiri  
> Daichi and Sugawara vs Kuroo and Kenma  
> Ushijima and Semi vs Bokuto and Akaashi  
> I haven't decided the outcomes of the exhibition matches yet, so if anyone wants to weigh in, feel free!  
> The tournament bracket for the others has already been decided though.  
> Oh, and if anyone has any ideas for magical pranks, let me know. If I get enough, I might do a follow-up to While The Guildmaster Is Away with a prank war between the ranking pairs at Aoba Josei.


	3. Karasuno's Arrival

"Oh, no, you don't," Kageyama growled, grabbing the back of Hinata's shirt and hauling the hybrid mage back toward him.

"Why not?" Hinata whined, crossing his arms and pouting at his familiar.

"The last time you ran off on your own in that town, you got captured," Kageyama replied grumpily. "You're not leaving me behind this time." Hinata unfolded his arms and poked Kageyama.

"Hurry up and come with me, then," Hinata insisted. "Before Daichi tells us not to." The pair glanced over their shoulders, to where the rest of their Guild was making their way towards them. Kageyama grinned, and together the two turned and bolted towards the town.

"Idiots," Tsukishima muttered, watching them disappear into town.

"We'd better go after them before they get into too much trouble," Daichi grumbled. "We're not expected at the Guild Hall until noon anyway, so as long as everyone behaves, we can take our time and enjoy the village market." Nishinoya and Tanaka exchanged excited grins, then sprinted after Hinata and Kageyama. Asahi glanced at Ennoshita, who chuckled. The two mages started after their familiars, and Kinoshita and Narita followed them, leaving Tsukishima and Yamaguchi with Daichi and Sugawara.

"Shimada said the market here has some really good herbalist healers working nearby," Yamaguchi said, looking up at Tsukishima.

"Let's go, then," the light mage replied calmly. Yamaguchi beamed and started toward the village, pulling Tsukishima along by his arm. Daichi and Suga watched them for a moment.

"We should probably go, too," Daichi murmured. Suga grinned.

"Of course! Maybe we'll run into some old friends while we're there, too," the demon added cheerfully. Daichi tilted his head, but Suga just beamed and grabbed his hand, towing him toward the town. Daichi followed, deciding that he'd just go along with his familiar. When they reached the marketplace, Daichi caught a glimpse of Hinata and Kageyama weaving their way through the crowd, Hinata's bright orange hair making him noticable despite his lack of height. Daichi was also pretty sure he saw Nishinoya perched in human form on Asahi's shoulders to better survey the market, but then Suga tugged on his hand, drawing his attention to another section of the market. "Akaashi!" Suga called, pulling Daichi with him as he pushed through the crowd to where Bokuto and Akaashi stood at one of the stalls.

"Suga?" Akaashi blinked, surprised, then smiled hesitantly. "I didn't know Karasuno was in the area already."

"We're a few hours early, so we're enjoying the market!" Suga replied. His voice was light and friendly, but his eyes were serious as he added, "How are you? No one's heard anything from you in ages."

"We're better now," Akaashi answered. Bokuto, standing behind Akaashi, wrapped his arms around the forest spirit's waist and rested his chin on his familiar's shoulder. Daichi wondered just how much better they were, if Bokuto was so calm and quiet. Just as the thought passed through Daichi's head, however, Bokuto suddenly lifted his head, gaze fixed on a nearby stall.

"Akaashi, they have _baby owls_ ," Bokuto whispered, awestruck as he started to move toward the stall. Akaashi grabbed his wrists, keeping the fire mage's arms wrapped around him so he couldn't run off.

"No, Bokuto. We move around too much," Akaashi said firmly. Daichi thought maybe they were okay after all.

"But Akaashi, look! They have a little sooty owl, just like you!" Bokuto pouted, nuzzling at Akaashi's neck as though that would persuade the forest spirit to give in. From the way Akaashi's stern expression wavered toward a more affectionate one, it might be working.

"How long have you two been in town? Have you been to the castle yet?" Suga asked. Bokuto's head came up and he grinned.

"We just got here this morning, so we haven't been yet," the fire mage answered cheerfully. Akaashi's expression flickered for a second, then fixed into a calm almost-smile.

"There you are!" The four of them turned to find an Aoba Josei mage approaching. The newcomer bowed respectfully, although the man beside him - his familiar, Daichi assumed - didn't. There was a black and white spotted dog at the mage's heels. "I'm Yahaba Shigeru, third in command at Aoba Josei. The Guildmaster sent me to make sure no one got lost in the marketplace," he announced.

"Nice to meet you. I'm-"

"We know who you are," the familiar grumbled.

"Kyoutani," Yahaba snapped. He looked like he was going to say something else, but then he glanced to the side. "No, don't buy that!" he shouted, lunging through the crowd toward a stall selling enchanted items, where Hinata was reaching for what looked like some sort of rug. The hybrid mage froze and turned towards Yahaba, who pulled him away from the rug, glaring at the stall owner. Kageyama seemed to materialize from the crowd, snatching Hinata out of Yahaba's hold and glared at the Aoba Josei mage. Kyoutani growled and stepped toward them. "Relax. I'm trying to help. Trust me, flying carpets aren't safe," Yahaba said, shooting a glance at Kyoutani to make sure he stayed where he was.

"Well, this tournament is going to be interesting," Daichi muttered.

"We should round everyone up and head for the castle," Suga decided.

"All right. We should stick together; the market can get confusing," Yahaba told them.

"Good idea. Except Bokuto escaped," Suga pointed out. Daichi blinked, realizing that the fire mage was no longer with Akaashi. The forest spirit shook his head.

"Fantastic," Yahaba sighed.

"Found him," Akaashi announced, pointing. The others followed the gesture and found Bokuto weaving through the crowd toward them, proudly holding a metal cage. Inside that metal cage was a fluffy baby great horned owl. "Bokuto, we can't take care of an owlet," the forest spirit reminded him.

"But it looked so lonely," Bokuto protested. Akaashi sighed, but his expression seemed more amused and affectionate than irritated.

"I'll take it," Kyoutani volunteered.

"I don't know if Oikawa will be happy with us bringing home more animals," Yahaba murmured.

"You're supposed to be bringing Bokuto back, right?" Kageyama muttered. Hinata elbowed him, and the familiar glared down at the mage. Daichi tried his best not to laugh. Really, he did. But an amused snort escaped him, which made Suga snicker a little, and then Bokuto was staring at them with a mournful look on his face.

"Even if Oikawa doesn't want us to keep it, we can at least teach them how to take care of it," Kyoutani pointed out, trying to ignore the others and focus on the young owl in the cage.

"True. Let's start gathering people before anyone else makes any unwise purchases," Yahaba decided.

"Can I have another look at that rug before we leave?" Hinata asked.

"No. If Yahaba says it's dangerous, you can't have it," Daichi answered firmly. Hinata sighed and glanced longingly in the direction of the enchanted items stall.

"You'd only fall off and get hurt, dumbass," Kageyama informed him.

"Let's focus on finding the others," Suga said. "Before-"

"Daichi! Daichi!" two voices chorused. Tanaka and Nishinoya skidded to a stop in front of their Guildmaster.

"We found the most beautiful mage!" Tanaka exclaimed.

"She must be a goddess in human form," Noya added. Daichi and Suga exchanged confused looks, while Yahaba sighed and shook his head. Kyoutani snorted.

"I thought Kiyoko was staying in the castle today," Yahaba muttered.

"Shouldn't they have seen her during the war?" Kyoutani replied.

"Their mages were in danger. They probably didn't notice much back then," Akaashi pointed out.

Daichi sighed. He'd been hoping for a nice, relaxing stroll through the market before continuing on to Aoba Josei's Guild Hall. He really should have known better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know what happened with this chapter. It was supposed to be serious. This is what happens when I write after 10:30 I guess. I don't know. The baby owl is absolutely my roommate's fault, though. So is the Bokuto-is-an-animal insinuation. She's a bad influence.   
> Anyway, hopefully next chapter will be more...not whatever this is. Unless you guys like this?  
> There are now six days until the tournament starts, by the way.


	4. Aoba Josei's Guests 1

After showing all of the Karasuno pairs to their quarters, Yahaba and Kyoutani escorted Bokuto and Akaashi to Oikawa's office to discuss the fate of the owlet.

"No," Oikawa said as soon as he saw the bird. "There are enough animals in the castle, and Suzumeda has already complained about the number of cats living here, so you are _not_ getting any more pets that eat rats." Kyoutani opened his mouth to argue, but Yahaba elbowed him to keep him quiet.

"Bokuto bought the owl. We would like to make sure he knows how to take care of it properly, but you're right, we have enough animals," Yahaba replied. Oikawa eyed Bokuto, who was holding the owlet and grinning, then sighed.

"All right. Put them in the empty room across from yours so you can help them with it if they need it," Oikawa decided. 

"It's not an it, it's a he, and his name is Ibid!" Bokuto announced. Akaashi blinked.

"You named it already?" he asked. Kyoutani grinned.

"Let's get you guys set up in your room, and I'll help you make a nice nest for him to sleep in," the guardian spirit offered. Bokuto beamed, and the two left the room together. Yahaba glanced at Oikawa, who just sighed and flapped a hand in dismissal, so Yahaba and Akaashi hurried after their companions.

After settling the newly named Ibid into a nest box Kyoutani had left over from a hawk he'd rescued and nursed back to health the month before, all four of them made their way to the courtyard, where the Karasuno pairs and several Aoba Josei members had gathered. Akaashi paused at the edge of the courtyard, gaze fixed on one spot against the wall a short distance from where they'd entered. The forest spirit's face was pale, and he seemed to be taking purposefully steady breaths, as though trying to keep himself calm. Kyoutani frowned, and Yahaba started to ask if he was okay, but Bokuto shook his head and gently took his familiar's hand. Akaashi tensed at the touch, but allowed Bokuto to pull him into a comforting embrace.

"It's okay, Keiji," Bokuto murmured, quietly enough that the others wouldn't overhear. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." After a moment, Akaashi relaxed into the fire mage's hold.

"Sorry," Akaashi said, staying close to Bokuto even once the mage's hold loosened.

"You don't need to apologize," Bokuto told him. Akaashi's lips twitched upward, but he still turned to Yahaba and Kyoutani.

"He's right," Yahaba said gently. "And if there's anything you need, just let us know, okay?" Akaashi nodded, but before he could say anything, there was a shout from across the courtyard. Yahaba, sensing magic stirring, grimaced and started toward the cluster of mages and familiars where the shout had come from.

"Kick his ass, Hinata!" one of the Karasuno members - Yahaba was pretty sure that was one of the familiars, Tanaka maybe? - urged as the group shifted, forming a circle around two pairs. One was Karasuno's Hinata and Kageyama, and the other was...Yahaba growled, recognizing Koganegawa and Sakunami facing them.

"No sparring without a referee!" Yahaba snapped. Kyoutani heard him and was at his side in an instant, in wolf form. The Aoba Josei members in the group saw them and backed off, eyeing Kyoutani warily. The Karasuno members - Yahaba noticed that their Guildmaster wasn't present, which would explain why they were getting into trouble - stared at them.

"We're just having a friendly match," Hinata said. The intensity in the hybrid's eyes didn't match his words, though.

"Not without a referee," Yahaba replied sternly. "Koganegawa, you know better. Especially since you're not allowed to spar without Oikawa or Futakuchi present to make sure nothing goes too horribly wrong." Koganegawa frowned and opened his mouth to object, but Kyoutani snarled, silencing him.

"Well, you're a ranking mage. Can't you referee?" Kageyama asked. Yahaba hesitated, glancing at Kyoutani, who shifted back to human form.

"I could," Yahaba agreed. "But don't you think there are enough matches coming up in a few days?"

"But what if I don't get a chance to face him during the tournament?" Hinata asked. Yahaba sighed.

"Then you can fight afterwards or something," the earth mage replied. "But even if I was willing to referee, Koganegawa still isn't allowed to spar without another enchanter or a suppressor present, because his control needs work."

"Ennoshita is an enchanter," Hinata countered, pointing to the Karasuno second in command.

"No," Ennoshita snapped. "I already told you this wasn't a good idea." Hinata sighed.

"Well, if we can't spar, can I at least practice a bit?" he asked. "We've been traveling for days, so I haven't really gotten a chance to use my magic much." Yahaba frowned. He had a bad feeling about allowing the hybrid to show off right then, but he couldn't really think of a reason not to. After all, the courtyard was usually used for practicing magic.

"Fine. But everyone has to stand at a safe distance," Yahaba agreed finally. Hinata grinned, and Ennoshita ordered everyone to move back. Hinata flung his arms out, flames erupting from his shoulders to his fingertips. Yahaba glanced at Ennoshita, saw that the enchanter wasn't planning on going anywhere, then turned back toward Bokuto and Akaashi. Hinata's flames swelled and shot into the sky, twisting in a controlled dance as Yahaba's gaze settled on the independent pair across the courtyard.

Akaashi was pressed against the wall, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched. Bokuto was beside him, murmuring to him soothingly.

"Shit," Yahaba whispered. Had something upset Akaashi? He knew the pair had been captured in the courtyard - come to think of it, that was probably why Akaashi had been on edge when they first entered - but he'd seemed better after Bokuto comforted him. Yahaba hesitated, not sure what to do. Was there anything he could do? Bokuto knew how to help his familiar, right?

A growl rose beside the earth mage, and Yahaba turned to find Kyoutani's attention was fixed on the pair across the courtyard. Kyoutani shifted to wolf form, turning and putting his back to Bokuto and Akaashi, the air shimmering with the guardian spirit's protective magic. Yahaba rested a hand on his familiar's shoulder, tangling his fingers in thick golden fur. Fear often brought out Kyoutani's protective instincts, even if it wasn't Yahaba who was in danger. The shimmering air that indicated Kyoutani's protection magic flowed over Bokuto and Akaashi, and the pair paused, apparently surprised. Akaashi shuddered, then turned and hid his face in his mage's chest. Bokuto wrapped his arms around him tightly, then looked up and met Yahaba's eyes. The earth mage gave Kyoutani's shoulder a pat, then approached the pair.

"Everything okay?" Yahaba asked.

"He'll be fine," Bokuto answered, stroking Akaashi's hair soothingly. "Hinata's magic caught him off guard, that's all." Yahaba blinked. The fire magic was what had upset him? He hadn't expected that. If Akaashi was afraid of fire magic, then how did he handle being bonded to Bokuto? "He's okay if he knows to expect it, or if it's my magic," Bokuto said, keeping his tone as even as he could, but Yahaba was sure he heard something in the fire mage's voice that could have been guilt.

"I'm sorry. I told Hinata he could practice to get him to quit trying to convince me to let him spar," Yahaba said.

"You didn't know," Akaashi murmured, lifting his head without moving away from Bokuto at all. The forest spirit paused, blinking at the way the air around him was still shimmering. "What...?"

"That's Kyoutani's protection magic," Yahaba explained. "He's a guardian spirit, so no matter how grumpy he seems, he usually jumps to protect any allies who are hurt or afraid."

"It's blocking the feeling of the other magic," Akaashi said, watching the huge golden wolf who was still growling in the direction of Hinata.

"He can protect from the strangest things sometimes," Yahaba told him. "A few months ago, I had him put down a protection against dirt in a hallway, then used my own magic to make dirt stick to Oikawa's and Iwaizumi's shoes, so they went sliding all over the place when they tried to walk on the protection spell." Bokuto laughed, undoubtedly picturing the event in his head. Akaashi smiled and laid his head back on Bokuto's chest, this time with his cheek pressed to the mage's shirt so he could look out at the courtyard.

"Looks like Hinata's winding down," Yahaba observed. Sure enough, the flames had died down, and Akaashi relaxed a little, although he still didn't move away from Bokuto.

"Would it be okay for us to go back to our room?" Bokuto asked.

"Of course. I can have a word with Hinata, make sure he doesn't spark up without a warning, if you'd like," Yahaba offered.

"It's all right. I'll be expecting it now," Akaashi replied.

"Are you sure?" Yahaba asked.

"Yeah. Thank you, though," Akaashi said. "Let's go, Bokuto." The pair left the courtyard, and Kyoutani's protection magic faded, the guardian spirit himself returning to human form and walking over to Yahaba.

"Are they okay?" Kyoutani asked.

"I don't know," Yahaba answered honestly. "But let's keep them clear of fire magic and the courtyard when we can." Kyoutani nodded in agreement. "And we can use the owlet as an excuse to check on them if we have to."

"It was the fire magic that upset Akaashi?" Kyoutani growled, glaring over his shoulder at Hinata.

"It's not Hinata's fault," Yahaba said. "Let's find Iwaizumi and see how far out Nekoma and the others are."


	5. Aoba Josei's Guests 2

Nekoma arrived three days before the tournament was scheduled to begin, and settled easily into the rooms provided for them. Yahaba decided not to question the fact that two of their mages - the shortest and the tallest, which he found amusing - requested adjoining rooms. Of course, the tall one explained it anyway. Something about the two mages sharing a room without being completely cut off from their familiars, which Yahaba really didn't need to know.

A growl shook the earth mage from his thoughts, and he turned to find Kyoutani, in wolf form, taking up much more space than necessary, with Patch beside him. Guardian spirit and half-grown dog alike were growling at what appeared to be a house cat. Yahaba frowned; Kyoutani and Patch both got along fine with cats. Then he recognized the cat they were apparently not getting along with.

"Kenma, please don't antagonize them," Yahaba sighed. "And Kyoutani, you should know better." The cat's ears twitched, but its gaze remained fixed on Kyoutani. "Patch, heel." The dog whined, but left Kyoutani's side and sat at Yahaba's instead. The two familiars remained locked in their angry staring contest. "Kyoutani, if you don't-"

"Kenma, there you are!" The Nekoma Guildmaster walked into the room, grinning. He paused, eyeing Kyoutani thoughtfully. "Ah, looks like I walked into a tense situation."

"No, you didn't, because Kyoutani is going to stop _right now_ ," Yahaba snapped. Kyoutani sighed, but shifted back to human form. Kenma did the same, but his yellow eyes stayed fixed on the guardian spirit.

"He asked me what my bond name is," Kyoutani growled, glaring at Kenma. Yahaba froze.

"He what?"

"Sorry," Kenma murmured, finally looking away.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, you-"

"Kyoutani." Yahaba's voice was calm, but firm. Kyoutani stopped, but he kept glaring at the smaller familiar. "Guildmaster Kuroo, you don't seem surprised."

"Oh, I'm shocked, believe me," Kuroo replied. "Kenma usually gets along just fine with dogs." Kyoutani managed to tense up even more, and Yahaba sighed. "He gets along with Inuoka, at least."

"Inuoka is housebroken," Kenma muttered.

"Enough," Yahaba snapped. The Nekoma pair blinked at him in surprise, and Kyoutani stopped glaring at Kenma. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but from everything I've heard about you, you're usually quieter and more polite than this." For a moment, Yahaba met the short familiar's gaze steadily. Then Kenma hunched his shoulders and looked away.

"He tried to pet me," Kenma said quietly. Kuroo nodded as though this made perfect sense.

"So...Kyoutani tried to pet you. I'm assuming that you were in house cat form?" Yahaba asked. Kenma nodded. "And so you thought the appropriate response was to ask him what his bond name is?" Kenma shrugged. "Okay, in the interest of continued good will between our Guilds, please don't do that again. As for you," Yahaba added, turning to Kyoutani. "You know that it's not the end of the world if someone learns your bond name, right?"

"But they could-"

"Yeah, they could try to sever our bond. They might even succeed. But that wouldn't be the end of the world, either, because we can just bond again," Yahaba pointed out. Kyoutani stared at him. Kuroo and Kenma were watching them with catlike curiosity, and Yahaba was pretty sure Kuroo was smirking, but Yahaba closed the distance between himself and his familiar anyway. He wrapped his arms around Kyoutani and murmured, "Magic bonds are great, but our bond isn't why I love you." Kyoutani lowered his head, hid his face in Yahaba's shoulder. Yahaba smiled, knowing his familiar was concealing a blush, because that was pretty much the only reason Kyoutani ever hid his face, then glanced at the Nekoma pair still watching them. Kuroo was indeed smirking, and he opened his mouth to make what was undoubtedly going to be a snide comment, but Yahaba cut him off. "Of course, if either of you so much as think about asking about Kyoutani's bond name again, or anything else that might be taken as any sort of interest in how to sever our bond, I will make you regret it." Kenma blinked slowly.

"That's adorable," Kuroo practically cooed. "Come on, Kenma, let's leave them alone now, okay?" Kuroo ushered his familiar out of the room, leaving Yahaba staring after them, still holding Kyoutani.

"You think he asks a lot of people about their bond names?" Kyoutani asked, his voice muffled by Yahaba's shirt.

"I don't know. But I remember Oikawa complaining about how nosy Nekoma can be more than once," Yahaba replied, running his fingers through his familiar's short hair. "Kyoutani. Ward the room, please?" Kyoutani blinked and lifted his head, his face still red from his earlier blush, then nodded. A moment later, the air in the room shimmered, Kyoutani's protective magic filling the room. "No one can hear us now, right?"

"No, I put up a protection against insects instead of eavesdropping," Kyoutani grumbled. Yahaba laughed and kissed him quickly as an apology.

"I just wanted to make sure there aren't any misunderstandings," the earth mage said when he pulled back. "I'm not going to let anything come between us, not even if someone were to manage to sever our bond. You're mine, and I'm yours, and nothing is going to change that. I promise." Kyoutani pulled him down for another, longer kiss that left them both a little breathless.

Meanwhile, walking down the hallway, Kuroo watched Kenma out of the corner of his eye.

"Stop it," Kenma muttered. Kuroo turned his best innocent expression on his familiar.

"Stop what?"

"You know what. Just ask," Kenma grumbled.

"Okay, I will. Why did you really ask about Kyoutani's bond name?" Kuroo asked.

"He's a guardian spirit. He's dangerous," Kenma answered. "I heard he nearly attacked healers for trying to get too close to Yahaba after the battle at Windswept, and he's supposedly decided Bokuto and Akaashi are under his protection, too."

"I heard about that. The courtyard incident before we arrived," Kuroo commented. Kenma nodded.

"While I don't plan on threatening him or anyone he's protecting, I would feel better with some sort of insurance for if he were to decide you or I was a threat," Kenma explained. Kuroo tilted his head curiously.

"I don't know much about guardian spirits. Are they really that scary?" he questioned. Kenma stopped walking and stared up at Kuroo as the mage turned to meet his gaze.

"Remember what it was like to fight Bokuto and Akaashi during the war?" Kenma replied. Kuroo frowned and nodded. Of course he remembered; that had been one of the worst days of his life. "Well, imagine if one of them had been injured in that fight." Kuroo's eyes widened.

"We probably wouldn't have been able to escape," the Guildmaster replied.

"Exactly. And just think. Akaashi's animal form is a relatively harmless owl. He's dangerous in his own way, but he doesn't have the same raw power that Kyoutani does. I pity whoever they face off with in the tournament," Kenma said. Then he started walking again, and Kuroo followed him thoughtfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so two days and two visiting Guilds left before the tournament matches start! I've got most of the battles planned out, and I think you guys will like what I've got planned!  
> Also, just a quick note: I don't think I've mentioned what Iwaizumi's animal form is. I know I've told some people, but for those of you who don't know, I have a proposition! I'd like to have a little contest! If anyone can guess Iwaizumi's animal form, I'll write a oneshot about it and gift it to them!  
> To get you started, I have a couple of hints:  
> 1\. the animal is large  
> 2\. it's something related to Iwaizumi's status as a war god


	6. Aoba Josei's Guests 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, guys, this chapter is kind of short. But Moonlit Shadows is arriving, so there's that.

Two days before the tournament, the Moonlit Shadows Guild only sent two pairs to Aoba Josei: their Guildmaster, Ushijima, and his familiar, Semi, and the leader of the Golden Shadows, Terushima, with his familiar, Misaki. When they arrived, they were escorted by Aoba Josei's second and third ranking pairs straight to Oikawa's office.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd get here," Oikawa commented when Ushijima walked into his office without so much as knocking. Yahaba was frowning at the Moonlit Shadows Guildmaster, and Kyoutani's movements were tense as he took his place at Yahaba's side to watch the meeting unfold. Kindaichi and Kunimi, on the other side of the room, didn't look happy, either.

"Hey! You're the air mage that knocked me out last year!" Terushima exclaimed, pointing at Kindaichi, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Do it again! I bet I can figure out how you did it!"

"I don't think that's-"

"Just try it on Ushiwaka," Oikawa interrupted Kindaichi's protest. Ushijima frowned.

"That's not my name," the Moonlit Shadows Guildmaster said.

"That's beside the point," Oikawa replied. "The point is, loudmouth bodyguard over there wants to see Kindaichi's knockout trick, and as a Guildmaster, you should oblige him!"

"Absolutely not," Semi snapped, stepping between Kindaichi and Ushijima. "I'll suppress anyone who tries."

"Oh, I forgot Ushiwaka had a Semi," Oikawa murmured. Iwaizumi sighed.

"Let's stop antagonizing our guests," the war god said. "No one is using magic on anyone. Terushima, there will be plenty of chances to see Kindaichi in action during the tournament in a few days, I'm sure. Yahaba, would you show them to their rooms?"

"Of course," the earth mage replied. "Guildmaster Ushijima, if you and your Guild members would follow me." Yahaba turned to lead them out, Kyoutani at his side. Terushima glanced at Kindaichi once more time, but his familiar nudged him toward the door, so the leader of the Golden Shadows followed Yahaba. Ushijima started toward the door as well, then turned back to stare at Oikawa.

"You know, I'll never understand why you stayed at this weaker Guild, when my predecessor offered you a ranking position at Moonlit Shadows," Ushijima said, something like genuine curiosity in his voice. "You would be much more effective at Moonlit Shadows, with stronger mages to enhance with your powers."

"That's stupid." The whole room froze when Kyoutani spoke. The Moonlit Shadows pairs stared at the guardian spirit in surprise. "We already beat you last year, so obviously the stronger pairs are here."

"It took three of your pairs to take Semi and I down, and we still managed to kill your second-ranked pair," Ushijima pointed out. There was no anger or malice in his tone, only slight confusion, as though he honestly didn't see why Kyoutani would say something like that.

"Iwa-chan, let go of me!" Oikawa growled. "I'm going to make him regret saying that!" Everyone's attention shifted to the Aoba Josei Guildmaster, who was being held back, presumably from attacking Ushijima, by Iwaizumi.

"No. You're the Guildmaster. You sit in your chair and back me up with magic, and I'll do the dirty work," Iwaizumi replied. Oikawa blinked and stopped straining against the war god's hold. Iwaizumi released him, then walked around the desk, stalked up to Ushijima, grabbed his collar, and shoved him against one of the book cases lining the walls. Iwaizumi's usual human form was shorter than Ushijima, but the aura of pure _fury_ and _power_ that suddenly emanated from the war god made the height difference seem irrelevant. When Iwaizumi spoke, his words were low and menacing. "You are here as our guest, as a gesture of good will between our Guilds, because we don't want to put the time and effort into crushing you again. So don't you dare bring up the people you killed, especially to imply they were somehow weaker, lesser, than you, or I will personally walk you through a reenactment of the part of our battle where I ran a sword through your gut, and this time, there won't be any healers around to save you."

For a long moment, there was silence. Then Ushijima raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"I meant no offense," the Moonlit Shadows Guildmaster said. Iwaizumi eyed him for a second, then released him and stepped back, and Ushijima turned to Yahaba. "I believe you were going to show us to our rooms?" he prompted. Yahaba looked pointedly to Oikawa, who nodded, before leading the Moonlit Shadows representatives out of the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise not everything that happens with Ushijima and Semi will be antagonistic. Really. The point of this is for everyone to be friendly and interact and stuff.


	7. Aoba Josei's Guests 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get started with this chapter, I have the tournament round one matchups!  
> Day one will be the exhibition matches, which I already revealed the matchups for.   
> Day two will be Round One, and will feature these fights:  
> 1\. Yahaba and Kyoutani vs Asahi and Nishinoya  
> 2\. Koganegawa and Sakunami vs Ennoshita and Tanaka  
> 3\. Lev and Shibayama vs Yaku and Inuoka  
> 4\. Kinnoshita and Narita vs Tsukishima and Yamaguchi

Yahaba wasn't sure what he'd expected from the Windswept Guildmaster, but whatever he'd been expecting, this...this wasn't it.

He stared at the pair in front of him: a woman with short brown hair, with friendly brown eyes, who he'd seen once after the last battle of the war ended, and a man with lighter brown hair and freckles who he'd never seen before.

"I'm Guildmaster Michimiya Yui of Windswept," the woman said. "This is my familiar, Ikejiri." Yahaba did his best not to show surprise. He'd heard rumors that the Warden had been the Windswept Guildmaster's familiar. If that was true, than this mage had moved on quickly after her familiar was executed. If it wasn't true, then where had Ikejiri been during the war?

"Welcome to Aoba Josei's Guild Hall. I'm Yahaba Shigeru, and this is Kyoutani," Yahaba replied, bowing politely. "You came alone?"

"Most of my mages who would have enjoyed this tournament left the Guild after the war. A lot of them came here, actually. Are Futakuchi and Koganegawa doing well?" she asked, concern etched in her expression. Kyoutani grumbled something about inexperienced enchanters, and Yahaba shot him a stern look.

"They're both fine. Koganegawa will be participating in the tournament, actually," Yahaba told her, leading her into the castle, towards Oikawa's office. "Futakuchi wanted to, but he doesn't have a familiar yet, so Guildmaster Oikawa wouldn't allow it."

"He didn't bond with that glacier spirit? I thought he left Windswept partially because he wanted a Guild that would be more welcoming to him bonding with someone," she mused. Then she seemed to shake off the topic. "Anyway, I know Karasuno left their Guild Hall a while ago. I hope they arrived safely." Yahaba wondered if this was really the same Guildmaster who had led her Guild in a war against Karasuno and their allies. Of course, the Warden had been a factor then...

"All of the Karasuno pairs got here safe and sound and settled in just fine," Yahaba assured her. She hesitated, and he added, "If you want to say something, say it. It's been a year, and we're trying to make sure that the peace we've had continues, but that doesn't mean you should be afraid to speak."

"The fire mage, Bokuto...is he here?" she asked. Kyoutani growled, his fists clenching. Yahaba tensed, unable to stop himself from frowning. What did the Windswept Guildmaster want with Bokuto? She flinched away from Kyoutani. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know how he is. I didn't know what Ringu was doing, even though I should have, and when I heard what happened to him...it's all my fault. I should have been able to see what Ringu was doing and stop her. I never got a chance to apologize to them."

"Ringu?" Yahaba repeated.

"Everyone else knew her as the Warden," Michimiya explained sadly.

"The Warden...was Ringu?" the sheer horror and shock in those words made Yahaba tense all over again as he turned to find Kageyama and Hinata standing in the hall, staring at them. "Ringu was the Warden?" Kageyama repeated. Hinata glanced at his familiar, confused, but Kageyama moved away from him. "I thought she died, like her sister," the demon whispered.

"Kageyama, what's wrong?" Hinata asked. Michimiya smiled sadly.

"You're Kageyama?" she asked. He nodded. "Ringu talked about you, when she thought I couldn't hear her. She wanted to tell you she was alive, see if you would help her with whatever plan she had. Were you two friends?"

"I thought we were," Kageyama replied grimly. Then he turned, shifted to crow form, and flew off.

"Hinata? Was that Kageyama? What..." Daichi, who had been walking down the hallway toward them, Sugawara at his side, stopped when his gaze landed on the Windswept Guildmaster. "Yui?" His gaze shifted to her familiar. "Ikejiri?" Beside him, Suga stared at the pair, but Yahaba couldn't read his expression. Michimiya smiled hesitantly and waved.

"Hey, Daichi. It's been a while," she said. "And Suga, you look well." Suga smiled, but the expression didn't reach his eyes.

"I heard you're facing Oikawa and Iwaizumi for your exhibition match tomorrow," Suga said. "Be careful."

"Don't worry, we have a plan," Michimiya replied cheerfully, grinning at her familiar. Ikejiri smiled nervously and nodded. "Who are you two facing?" she asked.

"Kuroo and Kenma from Nekoma," Daichi replied. "They're tricky, but I know we can handle them," he added.

"I'm sure you can," Michimiya agreed, her expression softening as she looked at Daichi. Suga noticed and slid an arm around Daichi's waist, then rested his head on his mage's shoulder. Daichi glanced down at him in surprise, and Suga smiled up at him sweetly. Daichi chuckled and kissed his forehead before replying to Michimiya.

"As long as I've got Suga, I can do anything," he told her, a sappy grin spreading across his face.

"I know," she replied. "It's always been like that." Yahaba decided it was time to escort the Windswept pair to Oikawa's office.

"We shouldn't keep Oikawa waiting," he said, gently breaking into the conversation. Michimiya jumped as though she'd forgotten Yahaba was there.

"Right! Of course!" she agreed quickly. "I'll see you later, Daichi, Suga," she added. "I hope we'll get a chance to talk more."

"Me, too," Daichi replied. "We have a lot to catch up on." The enchanter didn't notice the way Suga's hold on him tightened a little at that, or if he did, he didn't seem to realize the reason behind it. Yahaba sighed as he led Michimiya and Ikejiri through the castle. The exhibition matches were going to be interesting, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Fighting!  
> If anyone has requests for characters they'd like to see interacting or just see more of, feel free to say so!


	8. Exhibition Match 1: Ushijima vs Bokuto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to read a oneshot about Hinata and Kageyama discussing last chapter's events, I'd be happy to write it up. Just let me know.  
> Now, before the battle gets started, just a reminder to everyone: Ushijima is a hybrid fire/earth mage, Semi can suppress magic without physical contact, Bokuto has his fire magic, and Akaashi manipulates plants.

The first day of the tournament dawned bright and warm, and the castle was filled with nervous energy. Even though the first day was only exhibition matches, they were exhibition matches between the Guildmasters, so everyone was excited. The first match, because of the uneven number of Guildmasters, was between Ushijima and Bokuto. The two pairs took their places at opposite ends of the courtyard, and spectators gathered around the edge and on the higher floors of the castle, where balconies overlooked the courtyard. Oikawa was appointed as the referee for the match, so he and Iwaizumi stood against the courtyard wall, halfway between the pairs' starting positions.

"Begin."

As soon as the word left OIkawa's mouth, Semi darted toward Bokuto, shifting to coyote form to cover ground more quickly. Akaashi surged forward, catching everyone by surprise. Akaashi had always been a distance fighter, staying safely behind his mage and using any nearby plants to his advantage. No one had expected him to move to intercept the other familiar. Semi just checked his pace, tensed, then leaped, jaws aiming for Akaashi's arm, already reaching to suppress any fire attacks Bokuto might send to protect his familiar. Semi fully expected to be battling magically with Bokuto while wrestling physically with Akaashi, so he'd put all of his energy into making sure Bokuto didn't fry him.

Semi faltered when Bokuto didn't so much as try to avoid the suppression, instead just letting Semi's power settle over him. Akaashi saw the split second of surprise and hesitation in the demon's eyes and took the opportunity. Vines sprang up around the coyote's legs and neck, twisting tightly enough to hold him in place. Ushijima stepped forward, ready to assist his familiar, but Semi shifted his suppression powers from Bokuto to Akaashi, stopping the vines' growth instantly.

Akaashi shuddered as he felt the demon's power sweep over him, canceling out his connection to the vines he'd made sprout around his opponent. Akaashi closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists, because having demonic magic settle around him like that felt horribly familiar. It wasn't the same as when the Warden had been controlling him, it _wasn't_ , but the feeling was close enough to make him want to throw up. His fingernails bit into his palms, and bringing him back to the present. He could move, even if he didn't have his magic. That made this completely different. He wasn't helpless. He wasn't trapped. He just had to reach out and punch the coyote in the snout. So he did. And Akaashi couldn't help but smirk when his fist collided with his opponent's face.

Semi yelped and shifted to human form, drawing his dagger to hack through the vines around him while maintaining his suppression on the forest spirit. Now that his attention - magical and physical - was on Akaashi, Semi's suppression of Bokuto vanished. The fire mage grinned and surrounded himself with flames. Akaashi didn't flinch; he'd known Bokuto would be using magic eventually, and Bokuto's powers were familiar enough that over the last year, Akaashi had gotten to the point where Bokuto's flames didn't elicit the same terrified response as other people's fire magic did. Ushijima didn't use his own fire powers, instead electing to summon his sturdy stone armor and wait out Bokuto's attacks as the independent mage shot streams of fire above the two familiars in the middle of the courtyard toward Ushijima.

Semi finally succeeded in freeing himself from the vines, only for Akaahi to slam his fist into the demon's stomach. Semi coughed and doubled over, his suppression on Akaashi's powers weakening. Akaashi took the opportunity to bring his elbow down between Semi's shoulder blades, sending the demon sprawling. The suppression vanished. Ushijima stopped playing defense, apparently deciding that assisting his familiar was more important than waiting for Bokuto to wear himself out sending fire against stone armor, and the Guildmaster sent a wave of energy into the ground, urging the earth beneath Akaashi to shift, trying to throw the forest spirit off balance or trap him. Bokuto's flames erupted around Akaashi, concealing him from Ushijima's view and forcing the hybrid mage to rely on his earth magic to sense where the forest spirit was.

Akaashi slid his fingers beneath the sash at his waist, where there were several different packets of seeds sewn into the material. After sidestepping the surge of loose earth from Ushijima's magic, Akaashi tugged at a specific packet. The corner, bound with plant fiber instead of string, unwound, and a handful of tiny brown seeds fell into his palm.

"Koutarou," Akaashi called, raising his voice over the roar of the flames, because he knew Bokuto couldn't see him, but he also knew that the fire meage would know exactly what to do. The flames vanished immediately, and Akaashi darted forward, seeds in hand, and stopped just short of Ushijima, who stared at him in surprise and confusion. The forest spirit allowed himself the tiniest of smirks, then tossed his handful of seeds onto Ushijima's armor. Behind him, Semi stirred, so Akaashi sent a surge of magic, too fast for Semi to block, activating the latent magic he'd stored in the seeds before hand. The plants burst out of their seeds, stems and leaves filling Ushijima's field of vision, roots digging into the minute cracks in the hybrid's stone armor. Semi's magic slid over Akaashi, but it was too late. Akaashi's plants had too much latent magic in them, and now that his short burst of power had activated them, they wouldn't be stopped just because Akaashi's magic wasn't directly controlling them anymore.

Ushijima growled, his fire magic swirling around him, obliterating Akaashi's plants. With Semi's suppression in place, Akaashi didn't even feel the mild discomfort that usually accompanied a plant he'd magically grown being destroyed. The flames faded, revealing that Ushijima's stone armor was in shambles. Frustrated - summoning stone like that took a huge amount of energy, and he couldn't repair his armor or summon new rock anytime in the next several hours - Ushijima lashed out with his fire magic. Akaashi leaped backwards, but Semi, once more in coyote form, lunged for the forest spirit's feet. Akaashi stumbled and fell, and Ushijima's flames licked angrily over Akaashi's arms where he raised them as if that would protect himself. Akaashi hissed at the pain and rolled, trying to avoid the flames.

Those flames vanished, because Akaashi's agonized hiss was immediately heard by Bokuto, who retaliated by setting Semi's fur on fire. Ushijima tried to use his own fire magic to redirect Bokuto's flames, but Bokuto's gaze fell on Akaashi's reddened and blistered forearms, and the flames _erupted_ , swamping over Semi and bypassing Akaashi and bearing down on Ushijima, who was forced to dodge since he didn't have his stone armor anymore. Akaashi grimaced at the burns on his arms, then reached into his sash again, the section at the small of his back this time. Instead of seeds, Akaashi drew a dagger, small enough that he could keep it hidden against his side as he worked his way around to flank Ushijima, who was focused on trying to use his own powers to force Bokuto's fire magic away from Semi, who had collapsed and was writhing weakly on the ground, making pained whimpering noises. Ushijima was so intent on the magical battle over Semi that he didn't notice Akaashi approaching him until Akaashi's dagger came to rest against Ushijima's back, the tip pressing against the back of his ribcage firmly enough to be felt but not hard enough to draw blood. Bokuto pulled his magic back, and Semi stopped writhing, going limp.

"Bokuto and Akaashi win," Oikawa announced, stepping forward. "Kiyoko?" The head of the Aoba Josei healers hurried forward, Yachi in tow, and they settled around Semi, starting to heal his burns immediately. Watari approached Akaashi, offering to heal the burns on his arms. Akaashi accepted with a nod, then turned to watch Bokuto and Ushijima, who were shaking hands as Watari started healing his wounds.

"You're Akaashi, right?" an unfamiliar voice asked from behind him. Akaashi wrenched away from Watari, whirling and bringing his dagger up defensively as he faced the person who had walked up behind him. The woman - a water mage, Akaashi noted, wearing a bouse with the Windswept crest - held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"You're Michimiya Yui," Akaashi guessed. The woman - the Windswept Guildmaster - nodded.

"I wanted to talk to you and your mage," she said. "If that's okay." Akaashi hesitantly lowered his dagger, then tucked it into his sash at his lower back. He turned to Watari and allowed the healer to return to tending his wounds before he answered.

"I'm not sure Koutarou will want to talk to you," Akaashi warned.

"I understand," she replied. "I just wanted to-"

"Get the hell away from Akaashi," Bokuto snarled, having noticed Michimiya's presence as he headed over to check on his familiar and recognized the crest she wore. Bokuto stormed over, flames sparking at his fingertips, and planted himself between Akaashi and Michimiya.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Michimiya said quickly, taking several steps back. "I promise. I just want to say something to you two." Bokuto growled, and the sparks around his hands grew stronger.

"Koutarou," Akaashi murmured, pulling one arm out of Watari's grip - and ignoring the healer's frustrated sigh - to slide his hand over Bokuto's. The flames receded, retreating from Akaashi's fingers. "She just wants to talk. She'll leave if you want her to, but I think we should hear her out." Bokuto was quiet for a minute, then released his magic, the flames disappearing completely.

"Fine," Bokuto agreed quietly. Michimiya relaxed just the slightest bit, then bowed deeply.

"I'm so sorry for everything you two went through. I don't know everything Ringu did to you, and even if I did, I know I could never really understand. But I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop her before she..." Michimiya trailed off, and Akaashi and Bokuto exchanged surprised glances.

"You can't change the past," Bokuto said grimly. "And we're done blaming people other than the Warden for what the Warden did."

"We spent the last year learning to move on, to forgive ourselves, and to be ourselves again after what happened," Akaashi added, his tone gentle. "You should do the same. We don't blame you at all." Michimiya straightened, staring at them both for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Thank you. And if you two need anything, just say so," she added.

"Thanks," Akaashi replied. "And good luck with your match against Oikawa and Iwaizumi later." Michimiya smiled a little.

"I've got Ikejiri back. I don't need luck," she replied. "But I appreciate the sentiment." She bowed again, then turned and walked away. Bokuto watched her go, then turned to meet Akaashi's gaze.

"She's not what I expected, but if she walks up behind you and scares you again, and you don't stab her, I might roast her," Bokuto informed him. Akaashi smiled a little.

"She's not an enemy anymore, Koutarou," he reminded the fire mage.

"That doesn't make her a friend," Bokuto replied grimly. Then he grinned. "Hey, are you feeling up to watching the next match? It's Daichi against Kuroo, and I heard Suga's been working on a new trick. I want to see how Kuroo deals with it!"

"Seems like everyone's got new moves," Watari commented idly. The pair focused on him curiously, and he smiled sheepishly as he explained, "I've never seen forest spirit magic used the way you did with those seeds. And the battle to control the fire over Semi was impressive. I know Oikawa's been working really hard, and so have Yahaba and Kyoutani. No one wants to lose, and everyone wants to have an ace up their sleeve in case another war breaks out." Bokuto and Akaashi nodded thoughtfully. "Anyway, you're good to go," he added, nodding to Akaashi's now-healed arms.

"Thank you," the forest spirit replied. "And yes, Bokuto, I am feeling up to staying and watching the next match."


	9. Exhibition Match 2: Kuroo vs Daichi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I totally thought I'd already posted this, but then I went to write Oikawa's match and realized that I saved this as a draft instead of posting. So here you go!

Daichi and Suga took their place at one end of the courtyard, waiting calmly for their match to begin.

"What do you think they'll try?" Daichi asked, stretching. Suga shrugged, watching their opponents as they took their place opposite Daichi and Suga.

"I'm betting they try to pin one of us down to get the other to surrender," Suga replied. Daichi raised an eyebrow.

"Surely Kuroo would come up with a slightly more intricate strategy than that," the enchanter protested.

"Are you kidding? He probably spent so much time trying to convince Kenma to actually participate that he didn't have much time to strategize," Suga countered. Daichi glanced at their opponents. Kenma was walking away from Kuroo, toward the referee for the match - apparently Ushijima was going to take that role? - a determined look on his face.

"Can I forfeit yet?" Kenma asked when he reached Ushijima. The Moonlit Shadows Guildmaster stared down at Kenma with something that might have been shock on his face.

"The match hasn't even started," Ushijima pointed out.

"But fighting takes too much energy. I don't want to do it," Kenma replied.

"Kenma, you promised!" Kuroo complained. Kenma sighed, then returned to Kuroo's side.

"Begin," Ushijima ordered. Instantly, Daichi's shadow sprang to life, wrapping around him and yanking him to the ground, where more shadows surrounded him in a cocoon.

"I've got your mage, Suga. What are you going to do now?" Kuroo called. Suga gave the shadow mage his best, most innocent smile, then shifted to hawk form and soared into the sky. Kuroo frowned, wondering what he was up to. Suga circled around, then dove from the side of Kuroo opposite Kenma. The familiar shifted to house cat form and leaped onto Kuroo's shoulder, ready to jump and tackled Suga out of the air, but he was too late. Suga steepened his dive, then shifted to human form as he dropped to the ground, rolling into Kuroo's legs and knocking him over instead of dive bombing at his head and shoulders like Kenma had expected. Kuroo fell, and Suga rolled to his feet, grinning, and backed up to a safe distance. Kuroo sat up, frowning. "What was the point of that?" he demanded.

"To knock you down a peg," Suga replied cheerfully. "And to get your creepy shadows off my mage." Kuroo's eyes widened, and he and Kenma both turned to see Daichi getting to his feet, no longer restrained by shadows. Kuroo reached out, fully intending to wrap Daichi up again, but the shadows didn't move, didn't respond to his call. His eyes widened, and he whirled to stare at Suga.

"How did you...?" Kuroo started.

"He must have taught himself how to keep a suppression going without continued physical contact," Kenma murmured, returning to his own human form. "I don't know if he needs physical contact to initiate the suppression, though." Suga gave them both a broad grin, but didn't answer when Kenma added, "Impressive."

"He's great, isn't he?" Daichi replied, having snuck up behind the Nekoma pair while they were focused on Suga. Kuroo lunged forward, intending to dodge whatever magic Daichi was about to use, but he wasn't quick enough. Daichi's fingers gripped the fabric of Kuroo's shirt and yanked, hauling the shadow mage back toward the enchanter. Daichi's other hand seized Kuroo's wrist, and a stiffening charm fell over him. Kuroo was frozen in place, his expression of surprise fixed in place by Daichi's magic.

"Can we surrender now?" Kenma asked. Daichi and Suga exchanged amused glances, and Ushijima glared. Kuroo would have complained about his familiar being so willing to forfeit, but he couldn't speak with the stiffening charm in place. "Oh, well. I'll take that as a no." Kenma sighed, then shifted to lion form and charged straight at Suga, who was still focused on keeping Kuroo suppressed long distance, and so couldn't dodge as quickly as usual. Kenma's paw lashed out, claws sheathed, so Suga was thrown sideways but not wounded. It was enough to break his concentration, however. The suppression on Kuroo vanished, and the shadow mage twisted shadows around Daichi again as Suga reolled easily to his feet and faced Kenma's next charge. This time, without being distracted by suppressing Kuroo, Suga ducked, then drove his shoulder into the chest of Kenma's lion form, knocking the air from his lungs and then flipping the feline onto its side. Suga twisted and seized Kenma's mane, pinning him to the ground.

"So, I've got your mage, and you've got my familiar," Kuroo observed. "I'd say it's a draw." He glanced at Ushijima, who nodded and lifted his hand to announced it. Before he could say anything, though, Kenma shifted to human form. Suga adjusted his grip, keeping the smaller familiar pinned.

"We surrender," Kenma announced. "So it's not a draw." Kuroo looked scandalized. Ushijima sighed.

"Fine. Since Kenma has forfeited, Guildmaster Sawamura and his familiar win," Ushijima announced.

"Kenma!" Kuroo complained, releasing Daichi.

"You know, you're really lucky he didn't hide from this whole thing to start with," Daichi commented.

"He wanted to see Bokuto and Akaashi's match. He didn't have time to run away," Kuroo replied sourly. Suga nodded knowingly and let Kenma up.

"Let's clear the courtyard," Kuroo said. "Ushijima's refereeing Oikawa's match, too, right?"

"Yeah, and Oikawa was complaining about it, apparently," Kenma replied, leading them out of the courtyard. "His ranking mages were trying to figure out a way to distract him. Finally, they just complained to Iwaizumi about it. He promised to keep Oikawa quiet until the match." Daichi eyed Kenma warily.

"I don't want to know how you know all that," the enchanter said seriously.

"Yahaba and Kindaichi weren't ranking the last time I was here to gather information. Yahaba can recognize my house cat form, but he was too distracted to realize I was there while he was talking to Kindaichi."

"I said I didn't want to know," Daichi sighed.

"Oh, well. Let's go watch Iwaizumi beat up on the Windswept representatives," Kuroo said. Suga grinned and nodded happily, taking Daichi's hand and leading the way to one of the viewing balconies, where Bokuto and Akaashi had watched their match from. The Bokuto laughed at Kuroo as the shadow mage leaned against the balcony and sighed. Kenma, completely unapologetic, went to stand beside Akaashi. Below, Oikawa and Iwaizumi took their places at one end of the courtyard.


	10. Exhibition Match 3: Oikawa vs Michimiya

"I wonder what Windswept's Guildmaster has cooked up," Oikawa murmured as he eyed the pair at the other end of the courtyard.

"Whatever it is, we'll handle it together," Iwaizumi replied. Oikawa grinned at him, and Iwaizumi returned the expression before summoning his armor and two swords.

"Begin," the referee - Ushijima again, much to Oikawa's irritation - called. Oikawa waited patiently, ready to deflect any magical attack Michimiya and her familiar, Ikejiri, might throw at them. Iwaizumi moved forward, not charging, but steadily closing the distance between himself and their opponents. Magic stirred around Michimiya and Ikejiri, but Oikawa wasn't sure what they were doing, so he decided to wait and watch.

That was a mistake. Their power swirled together, earth spirit energy melding with water magic and turning the ground in the courtyard to mud. This in and of itself wouldn't have been an inconvenience, except that the mud suddenly rose up around Iwaizumi. Oikawa tried to use his own magic to redirect the mud, but the way Michimiya and Ikejiri had tangled their powers together made it nearly impossible for Oikawa's magic to work. The mud, filled with two kinds of magic, seemed largely unaffected by Oikawa's magic as it slide up Iwaizumi's legs. The war god scowled and tried to break free, tried to continue his advance, but the mud held fast, keeping him from moving his feet. Iwaizumi paused to consider this, and the mud inched higher.

Oikawa was frowning now, moving as close as he dared - he couldn't let himself get trapped in the mud, too, or Ushijima might decide to declare the match over - and trying to work his own magic between Iwaizumi's armor and the mud. The water magic in the mud flared, and Oikawa's magic slid away. The mud crept up, over Iwaizumi's hips, then to his chest. The earth magic faded, and Iwaizumi shouted a warning. Oikawa looked away from his magical combat just in time to see - was that a _cheetah?_ \- lunging for his chest. Oikawa fell back, his magic fading as he lost his concentration along with his balance. The mud slid beneath his feet, and the cheetah's paws landed squarely on Oikawa's chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Claws scraped across his chest, and Iwaizumi shouted again. Fangs glinted, and Oikawa knew he had to do something, because Michimiya's familiar was going to win if he got his teeth anywhere near Oikawa's neck.

Oikawa closed his eyes, reached out for the mud encasing Iwaizumi, which was almost exclusively controlled by water magic now. That made it a lot easier to focus and switch his tactic. The enchanter went for the source of the magic, instead of focusing on getting it away from his familiar. Oikawa gathered every scrap of his power and sent it crashing over Michimiya. The Windswept Guildmaster yelped as the flow of magic between her and the mud shattered. Iwaizumi wrenched free of the mud - because without Michimiya's power, it was just mud - and lunged for Michimiya. The water mage scrambled backwards, and mist surrounded her. Oikawa reached out to clear the mist, and his vision swam. He'd relied too much on brute strength, and now he was running low on power.

Iwaizumi's swords flashed, cutting through the fog, and even though it didn't clear, a cry told everyone that Michimiya had been hit. Before Ushijima could call the match, Iwaizumi was turning, his armor vanishing. The mud that had been caked to it fell to the ground, and Iwaizumi charged across the distance between himself and where the cheetah form of Ikejiri was still poised over Oikawa. The familiar noticed Iwaizumi's approach and lunged downward, hoping to inflict some damage on the enchanter before the match ended. Ikejiri's fangs were still several inches from Oikawa's skin when Iwaizumi's foot hit him in the ribs, sending the feline flying across the courtyard, where he hit the ground and lay still.

"Oikawa and Iwaizumi win," Ushijima declared before Iwaizumi could go after the cheetah and kick him again. Iwaizumi nodded to the referee, then knelt beside Oikawa and surveyed the scratches on his chest. Iwaizumi noted that they were superficial wounds only, just barely deep enough to actually draw blood, and hisshoulders sagged with relief.

"He ruined my shirt," Oikawa complained, trying to sit up, only to discover that he'd used even more of his magic than he'd thought, and it left his limbs infuriatingly weak and unable to support him. "And there's mud in my hair."

"Idiot," Iwaizumi muttered. "You got tackled by a damned cat, and you're worried about your shirt and hair?"

"You're right. My pride is wounded, too," Oikawa replied.

"Well, in that case, prepare to have your pride hurt a little more," Iwaizumi warned. Then he slid his arms underneath Oikawa, one under his shoulders and one under his knees, and lifted him, cradling the enchanter against his chest. Oikawa huffed, but he knew better than to protest. After all, he could see the way Iwaizumi's jaw was clenched. So instead of complaining about being carried, Oikawa grinned and managed enough control over his own arms to wrap them around Iwaizumi's neck.

"Don't worry, Iwa-chan, you'll always be my knight in shining armor," Oikawa cooed. "Even if you're covered in mud."

"I will drop you," Iwaizumi threatened. Oikawa's grin widened.

"No you won't. Look, I'm injured," he added, glancing pointedly at his scratched chest.

"Guildmaster, please don't antagonize Iwaizumi," Kiyoko murmured as she passed them on her way to check on Michimiya and Ikejiri.

"And Iwaizumi, please don't glare at the Windswept pair the rest of the tournament," Yahaba added as he approached them, Kyoutani, Patch, and Watari in tow. Watari positioned himself so he could glance over Oikawa's wounds, then started healing him. Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at the third in command, who just met his gaze steadily. "Kindaichi still scares new mages with stories about how irritated you get when Oikawa is hurt or exhausted or both, and I think we all remember the last time Oikawa overworked himself." Iwaizumi grumbled and tightened his hold on Oikawa. Watari frowned at him, and the war god obligingly shifted his arms so the healer had better access to the enchanter's wounds. Once Watari finished healing Oikawa and gave the enchanter an energy boost to partially regenerate his magic, the healer stepped back.

"Did tomorrow's matches get posted?" Iwaizumi asked.

"Yeah. Oh, and that tall one from Nekoma, Lev? Apparently he and Yaku are together, and Lev is very nervous about their match," Yahaba said, glancing at Oikawa, who looked entirely too innocent. Yahaba shook his head at them.

"Are you nervous about your match?" Oikawa asked curiously. Yahaba grinned.

"Nah. It's Asahi. His familiar is fiery, and they work well together, so it might be close, but I don't think they'll be able to get past Kyoutani," he replied. "About your match, though...I wonder how Michimiya found out that tag teaming is really effective against you."

"She used to be friends with Karasuno's Guildmaster, right? Maybe she figured it out from that," Iwaizumi suggested. Oikawa huffed and wiggled, Watari's energy boost having refreshed him enough that Iwaizumi probably didn't need to keep carrying him. Iwaizumi didn't let him down. "If anyone gets too out of hand, let us know, okay? You might be confident, but you should still get to rest up for your match tomorrow."

"Are you going to answer, or will you two be too 'occupied'?" Watari grumbled under his breath. "Because we all know Iwaizumi's priorities." The war god might have shrugged if he wasn't carrying Oikawa, but he just gave the healer a steady, unrepentant look instead.

"Yahaba! Kyoutani!" The pair looked up and found Bokuto, Akaashi, and the Nekoma and Karasuno Guildmasters and their familiars approaching. Iwaizumi carried Oikawa off before Watari could continue his comments about priorities, so Yahaba just smiled and turned to greet their guests.

"Congratulations," Yahaba said, nodding to the two pairs who had won their exhibition matches.

"Thanks!" Bokuto replied. "Did you see how awesome Akaashi was?"

"We did," Yahaba answered. "Everyone made a lot of improvements over the last year. It was really impressive."

"Did Oikawa and Iwaizumi run off? I thought Oikawa would've wanted to stick around and be congratulated," Kuroo murmured.

"Priorities," Watari muttered. Daichi gave him a strange look, and Yahaba sighed.

"Please don't ask me to explain," the earth mage requested. "You really, really don't want to know. Trust me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case anyone wants a reminder, the matchups for the next day of the tournament are:  
> 1\. Yahaba and Kyoutani vs Asahi and Nishinoya  
> 2\. Koganegawa and Sakunami vs Ennoshita and Tanaka  
> 3\. Lev and Shibayama vs Yaku and Inuoka  
> 4\. Kinnoshita and Narita vs Tsukishima and Yamaguchi


End file.
